Attracting the best talent to your workforce is both an art and a science. First impressions matter and you need to use all resources available to ensure a good one. There are many industry hiring trends to focus on as a company while rethinking your workforce. We are also happy to share some of our own best practices that we use to find our own TECKperts for our own digital workforce.

Big Picture

Thus far in 2020, many very talented people have lost their jobs due to COVID-19. Many of these people are highly skilled and are in high demand. The choices to layoff or furlough team members are decided through multitudes of logic. Often they are using the LIFO (last in, first out) method because the company no longer has resources to train. Also, at times like these, employers value institutional knowledge.The good news for those hiring is you are at an advantage from a supply and demand perspective. But these people will not be on the market for long and the process to get the best talent can be overwhelming. Vanessa Bori, our Workforce Manager, said about the current state of the employment market, “There is a large pool of talent out there ready and willing to work. Even though it is an employers’ market right now, employers need to remember to treat people with the kindness they deserve throughout the hiring process. People will always remember how you treated them and that will reflect on your business for years to come.”

Hiring Trends for Employers

Finding great talent is the first step in building the future of your company. All business owners say they value knowledge, loyalty and longevity, but how do they foster those behaviors when attracting talent? Businesses should take the same customer experience approach when considering the employee experience, says Thurston. Looking at the employee journey, organizations should ask: What solutions are we providing to individuals, not only for the work that they’re doing at the company today, but that will help them become more marketable throughout their careers? Below are several hiring trends that your business can utilize in this new environment where we all find ourselves today. Hopefully, you have all of these practices already in place. If not, there are additional solutions to help.

1. Honesty. Transparency. Vulnerability.
2. Be realistic with applicants about expectations and hurdles. You do not have to divulge all company issues, but the new hires are going to find out one way or another. Being honest with your team about where the company is heading, especially during a pandemic, put people at ease. In an ever-changing environment, come out in front of it and attack the problems as a team. Everyone feels similarly and that can give comfort.
3. Flexibility.
4. People do not want to be pigeon-holed into one role forever. This trend has been happening for a generation now. You may notice that people do not stay at companies for a long time. They now prefer to be exposed to the wider organization, rotate opportunities, and feel they have a big impact. Cross-functional teams and mentorship help tremendously with this task. Traditional employment has found this to be a large hurdle to overcome.
5. Engage with candidates throughout the hiring process.
6. Put yourself in the applicant's shoes. They are applying to many companies and waiting… and waiting… Each company has a different platform they need to apply on. Where are they in the process? What exactly is the process at your company? This is where technology and automation comes in handy. But don’t overdo it! You cannot replace human interaction. It is also important to make sure your automated system does not have any breakdowns where you might lose candidates in the process. Make sure your systems are built to be responsive and considerate to humans. Also make sure it is easy for someone to reach a human, if necessary.
7. Consider a contingent workforce.
8. What does your company actually need right now? Just because you have always done it one way does not mean you have to keep doing it that way. Plan your workforce thoughtfully. How can you change roles? Will technology make the role more efficient? How do you bridge the talent gaps? We suggest using a mix of full-time, part-time, internal and external contract workers. You will need both highly specialized experts and generalists to come together and complete mission critical objectives.
9. Remote work is a must.
10. We have long wondered why businesses waited until 2020 to begin remote work. People have been asking for two decades. Now there are amazing technologies to stay connected and productive. It’s a no-brainer.
11. Begin growth and development plans from day one.
12. Of course, this will be under constant revision depending on the changing needs of the organization and the team member. Your team looks to you for guidance navigating their career at your company. Having a development plan keeps team members engaged when they are feeling disconnected.
13. Employer branding and culture.
14. What is your company’s story? Quality employees want to work somewhere they believe in. If we are all going to spend a substantial portion of our lives working to grow a company, then we want to feel good about it. This is also a time to appeal to multiple generations as generational diversity in our culture is larger than ever before.

The hiring trends above are great practices to use in any industry. We understand there are many amazing hires that are highly specialized and in high demand. But they are only in high demand for a small number of companies who can afford to keep them on staff full-time. Companies are having to create “make work” projects well below the pay grade of this highly specialized team member to make it worth their while to keep them on the payroll after the initial project is done. Many companies decide to just go another route instead of hiring the niche role internally. This is where the contingent workforce comes into play.

The TECKpert Hiring Solution

Many companies have found that relying on TECKpert to help them through an implementation of certain highly technical projects is the most efficient way. They can benefit from the highly specialized knowledge. Also, they only use the talent for the duration of the project. Our TECKperts value the flexible environment and benefits. Their knowledge is truly expansive given their unique experiences gained working with many different companies, industries, and projects.One of the secrets to our hiring success is our own proprietary application platform for hiring. When getting the message out to people across the United States about a remote opportunity available now, you have to go through many different platforms. How do companies manage each different website and stay responsive to their applicants? That is why we created an app. All our applicants are in one place and, essentially, the first step of onboarding is complete. Applicants download our app, create their profile, and show interest in the opportunities available that are listed in the app. They are screened. Then they will receive notifications of new jobs as they come available. They can also manage their contracts, timesheets and messages directly through the app. Upskilling is soon to come! The technology also helps the TECKpert team to find the best applicants that are already excited about the role and are available to work - quickly. This is why it is easy for TECKpert to help their clients ramp up FAST. Reach out today to discuss your business’s digital transformation and maybe skip the hassle of most of the hiring trends.